A Prolific burglar has vowed to turn his life around after meeting one of his victims and seeing the misery he caused.

Serial sneak thief Martin Gilbert struck at many Tyneside homes as he fed his drugs habit by stealing cash and valuables during a crime career spanning 30 years.

But now out of prison, Gilbert has vowed to go straight and wants to apologise to all his victims via the Chronicle.

The 47-year-old said that after meeting one woman whose home he broke into, he will never burgle another house again.

Gilbert said: “I just want to say sorry to everyone I have burgled.

“At the time I didn’t think about the victims at all, I was so off my head on drugs and alcohol. I was in a bad state and was just doing it for money to feed my habit. I just needed money. But I’ve realised now and I’m just really really sorry for all the pain and hurt I have caused.”

Gilbert, from Walker, Newcastle, was jailed for three-and-a-half years in November 2011 for a burglary spree during which he raided 18 homes, stealing cash and jewellery worth almost £30,000, predominantly from elderly people’s bungalows and during broad daylight.

The Chronicle revealed how he was eventually caught by police when he was caught on CCTV using residents’ own tools to smash his way into their homes. At one house he even took socks off the washing line to cover his hands to prevent fingerprints.

At Newcastle Crown Court Gilbert, whose son Paul was murdered in 2008, pleaded guilty to raiding four homes in the Gosforth and Jesmond areas, and asked for a further 14 burglaries to be taken into consideration by the court.

The burglar was released from prison on licence in July last year, after serving 21 months behind bars. And as part of his rehabilitation the probation service, now know as the Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company, offered him the opportunity to take part in a ‘restorative justice’ programme.

The scheme gives victims the opportunity to meet the offenders that targeted them to explain the impact the crimes had on their lives. It also means the criminals can make amends for what they have done by apologising and being held to account.

“I just wanted to see the other side and see what my victims had to say,” he said. “I have been in and out of prison most of my life, but this time I just thought; ‘I don’t want to end up back here. I need to change my ways’.”

Mum Christine Bell, who was burgled by Gilbert twice, agreed to take part in the scheme and come face-to-face with the thief.

The 55-year-old said: “I said yes straight away. I just thought I could do that and there was a little bit of me that was curious about who did it and why.”

Gilbert first broke into the home Christine shared with her children and husband Terry, 56, in March 2011. The break-in prompted them to ramp-up security at their Jesmond bungalow installing sophisticated CCTV and bars on the windows.

When he decided to try his luck again, in September, he was caught on camera spending an hour breaking into the home by prising open a window and squeezing through.

“When I met him I asked him why he did it. He said he wanted money for drink and drugs,” said Christine, who works as a court usher. “I started to understand that what he took was just a means to any ends for him. I said he didn’t realise what it must have been like to me. He apologised honestly and said how sorry he was and I believed him. I felt it was genuine.

“Saying sorry doesn’t make anything better. But if meeting me does make him see that it was a horrible thing to do to someone and stops him doing it again it’ll be worth it. I hope he gets a job and I hope things work out for him.”

Chris Bell agreed to meet Martin Gilbert in the hope that it might help him mend his ways

Mum-of-two Christine also told Gilbert of her heartache at losing her daughter Leonie, in 2012. The 20-year-old died after suffering an epileptic fit in her bedroom.

Gilbert says Christine’s understanding and forgiveness has helped motivate him to go straight.

“I was a bit worried at first. I was half expecting her to jump over the table and hit me,” he said. “But when I met her I couldn’t have asked for a nicer woman. We talked about how what I did had effected both of us and our families. She broke down and I was breaking down.

“Since the burglary she has had bars put on her windows and that she was nervous going into the house. That was a real shock to me to know she didn’t feel safe because of me. I had to reassure her that I would never burgle her house again, I said; ‘I’m really sorry and you have got nothing to worry about’.

“If I’m ever tempted again I will think of her.”

Gilbert, who has two daughters and is a grandfather, is now determined that his most recent spell in prison will be his last.

“I realised I needed to make some big changes,” he said. “I’m now drug free and I have got new accommodation and hopefully I’ll have my own place soon. I would love to have a job. I have never worked before and don’t know what it’s like to have wages coming into the bank every month. I don’t want to spend any more time in prison. I have wasted most my life.”